The worst type of shirt a man can wear, according to women — and what to wear instead

For a while we’ve been saying that your shirt should bear absolutely no graphics of any kind. That includes button-up shirts with flames on them (à la Guy Fieri), as well as your well-intentioned graphic T-shirts from college.

Graphic tees are just generally childish and shouldn’t be worn by anyone old enough to drink legally.

It used to be as simple as that. Now, however, Hawaiian-style shirts are starting to trend, leading men to wear bolder patterns that may be confused with the garish bowling-style shirts you’ll find on the racks of your local discount store. But in reality, the “new Hawaiian” style is something different altogether.

Here’s what the more stylish Hawaiian shirts look like:

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Hawaiian-style shirts.

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Our Legacy and J. Crew and Mr. Porter and Topman

Confusing, right? The difference is pretty subtle, but it’s important.

While flame shirts and other graphic shirts aim to be loud, tacky, and all-around garish, these quieter Hawaiian prints are anything but that. The prints are mostly understated considering how large they are, and they’re on muted backgrounds that don’t draw as much attention to themselves. The prints politely ask for attention, while the graphics straight-up demand attention in a “look-at-me” way. Graphics are loud for the sake of being loud, while the Hawaiian-style prints are a little more artsy about it.